USA Today bestselling author Sally Kilpatrick presents a Southern-fried Christmas story full of both humor and heart. Widowed romance writer Ivy Long is stuck in a rut. She's hardly the best candidate to play Mary in the annual Drive Thru Nativity: she still sneaks cigarettes, isn't a virgin, and definitely isn't with child. Gabe Ledbetter has problems of his own. He's hiding out with his estranged father during an unwanted leave of absence from his pediatrics practice. He's also been talked into playing Joseph along with Ivy and an assortment of less-than-cooperative animals. When Ivy finds an honest-to-goodness baby in the manger, that's the first of many surprises for her and Gabe. Both have been burned by love before. However, if they can find the courage to open their hearts while taking care of a baby and coexisting with their prickly families, then it just might be a Christmas miracle. 2025 IngramSpark® Editorial Selection - Romance